Exploring Methods to Improve Pressure Ulcer Detection: Spectroscopic Assessment of the Blanch Response

Pressure damage in intact skin is difficult to detect, particularly in individuals with dark skin, because color changes and tissue blanching are masked by the skin's pigmentation. Tissue reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) may be able to detect the blanch response regardless of skin color by measuring the change in total hemoglobin (delta tHb) that occurs when pressure is applied to the skin. The objective of this dissertation was to examine the ability of TRS to detect the blanch response at sites at risk for pressure ulcer development in individuals with various levels of skin pigmentation. Three studies were conducted to address this objective. In Study 1, delta tHb was assessed at the heel and sacrum of light and dark-skinned healthy participants using a portable TRS system. Study 1 showed that a significant decrease (p less than 0.001) in tHb could be measured in both light and dark skinned-participants with good intra-rater reliability (ICC greater than or equal to 0.80) at the heel, but not at the sacrum. Study 2 was conducted to identify a reliable method of skin color description for use in subsequent studies of the spectroscopic blanch response. Two examiners (B and C) performed three skin color assessments at the volar forearm of ten healthy participants using Munsell color tile matching and colorimetry. Intra and inter-rater reliability was excellent for colorimetry (ICCs typically greater than or equal to 0.90). Reliability for Munsell color tile matching was highest for Munsell value within Examiner B (93% agreement, kappa 0.87-1.00), which was determined to be sufficiently high for use in subsequent studies. In Study 3, delta tHb was assessed at the heels of light, moderate, and dark-skinned elderly nursing home residents at risk for pressure ulcers. As in the pilot study, a significant decrease in tHb was observed in all skin color groups (p less than 0.05). Intra-rater reliability for delta tHb was moderate or greater (ICC greater than or equal to 0.61). In combination, the results of Study 1 and Study 3 demonstrated that a significant spectroscopic blanch response could be detected with moderate or greater intra-rater reliability at the heel regardless of age or pressure ulcer risk status

Effects of nest and colony features on lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) reproductive success

Lesser kestrel is a facultative colonial raptor mostly breeding in man-made structures. During 2009-2011 we checked the fate of 545 nests found in 18 colonies located in south-eastern Sicily. We determined the reproductive success of breeding pairs by analysing the survival time of each egg to hatching (n = 2495) and each nestling to fledging (n = 1849) with the Linear Hazard model of survival times. We determined whether egg and nestling survival differed between years with a Gehan-Wilcoxon test. By Cox regressions, we related the survival times with nest and colony features. Egg and nestling survival times showed a strong annual effect. The two reproductive stages of lesser kestrel when controlled for the annual effect demonstrated a significant effect for some nest and colony features. Most of them, like height from the ground, nest depth, reused nests and the presence of jackdaws, are likely related to the predation pressure faced by lesser kestrel nests. Westward and southward nests had a better egg survival respect to those in the cold sides and in the interior of buildings. The location of colony in the agricultural plain and human disturbance ranked as the most important variables, with core location of a colony and high disturbance levels negatively affecting the reproductive success of lesser kestrel in the Gela Plain, so urging a more environment-aware land use management of this Important Bird Area

An equilibrium model for RFP plasmas in the presence of resonant tearing modes

The equilibrium of a finite-beta RFP plasma in the presence of saturated-amplitude tearing modes is investigated. The singularities of the MHD force balance equation JXB=grad(p) at the modes rational surfaces are resolved through a proper regularization of the zeroth-order (equilibrium) profiles, by setting to zero there the gradient of the pressure and parallel current density. An equilibrium model, which satisfies the regularization rule at the various rational surfaces, is developed. The comparison with the experimental data from the Reversed Field eXperiment (RFX) gives encouraging results. The model provides an easy tool for magnetic analysis: many aspects of the perturbations can be analyzed and reconstructed.Comment: Final accepted version. 36 page

Preliminary observation on use of nest boxes in protected areas of Southern Sicily

In this short note we summarize the data self-made nesting in nest boxes in two areas of NATURA 2000 in southern Sicily. The models of nest boxes considered host species during the study the following period: Falco naumanni, Falco tinnunculus, Athene noctua, Strix aluco, Sturnus unicolor, Parus major, Certhia brachydactyla, Corvus monedula, Passer montanus

Targeting AMPA Receptor Modulation during Early Life Adversity: A Mediator for Threat Associated Memories

Early life adversity (ELA) is the exposure to a single or to multiple traumatic events before the age of 18 that go beyond the child’s coping. These adverse events are often exacerbated during adolescence particularly when cognitive performance is compromised. Adolescents who experienced ELA may show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while not vividly recalling the early life trauma. These individuals show atypical connectivity between prefrontal-amygdala and hippocampus, all of which is associated with an increased risk of experiencing a traumatic event again later in life. While clinical research has increasingly stressed the importance in addressing the long-lasting consequences of ELA, treatment availability for ELA is low. Yet, animal models of the threat response during development have given clues into ways in which early adverse experiences transition later in life. Our previous research has provided behavioral evidence that there are differences in infant and juvenile threat processing, reflecting age-specific wiring in the brain. However, research still lacks how molecular markers important for synaptic plasticity and memory are modulated across the development after threat exposure. The overall GOAL of these studies was in identifying the role of AMPAr on transitional threat memory processing at three ages of infancy, and the juvenile stage, to understand how the brain at different stages of life responds and processes threat. Adult rats exposed to threat exhibit impaired long-term memory retrieval for tasks learned prior to threat exposure. AMPAr and PKMz expression, markers important for long-term memory processing, are also dysregulated in acute and chronically threat exposed adults, suggesting threat memories may override or conflict with previously established memories. While previous research has provided evidence that synaptic plasticity is dysregulated in the adult brain after threat exposure, research still lacks on how molecular markers important for synaptic plasticity and memory are modulated across development after threat exposure. Thus, the studies presented in this dissertation identified the role of threat associated AMPAr on developmental synaptic plasticity by 1. Utilization of age-specific threat conditioning paradigms 2. Monitoring biochemical changes 3. Examining the influence of stress hormones. These experiments focused on identifying AMPAr as a mediator for early life adversity associated memories. To achieve this goal, two specific aims were carried out: Specific Aim 1: Identify the role of AMPA receptor expression in the hippocampus and amygdala in threat memory retrieval during the juvenile or adult stage of life [Chapter 2] Previous research on ELA has focused primarily on the alterations of the developing amygdala-prefrontal circuitry, however, the hippocampus is also an important region in the threat circuit, where the contextual aspect of the threat memory is stored. While the amygdala has been shown involve in threat memories during the juvenile stage starting at PN17, the hippocampus is still a region yet to reach full maturation. Rats at this stage will demonstrate a threat response 24 hours later when tested in the initial training context, but; will not retain this threat memory as early as 4 days after the initial exposure. However, juvenile rats exposed to the initial context at 3 days and then 6 days’ post-threat retain a threat response, suggesting consistent reconsolidation of memories in juveniles is needed for the sustainment of threat memories. The need for consistent reconsolidation of memories is a developmental feature not present in the adult rodent brain. Studies focusing on the natural phenomena, infantile amnesia, the inability to maintain memories during infancy and early childhood, have considered possible reasons for forgetting and recall failure seen during this stage of development. Previous research shows that while adults and juveniles both have developed projections between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and hippocampus, juveniles do not show activation of BLA to hippocampus projections during threat conditioning and extinction. This difference projection strength suggests the hippocampus and its projections to regions like the prefrontal cortex and amygdala are immature, making these immature projections a potential driving force behind increased forgetting in juveniles. To identify the role of the AMPA receptor associated with threat memory retrieval in juvenile rats, we focus on both the amygdala and hippocampus in understanding how neural mechanisms important for threat memory processing differentiate between juveniles and adults. Groups of male juvenile and adult rats were exposed to the pedestal stress paradigm and tested for contextual threat memory retrieval either 1d or 7d later. Rats were sacrificed 30 minutes after test and the dorsal hippocampus and amygdala were evaluated for GluA1-3, PKMz and PSD95. We found that: (1) As expected, both juvenile and adults have intact threat memory retrieval 24 hours post-training. However, at 7 days post-training only adults exhibit a sustained threat memory (2) GluA1-2 AMPAr subunits increase at 1d post-training in the hippocampus of juvenile rats and phosphorylated Serine 845 GluA1 AMPAr subunit increases 7d post-training in the hippocampus of juvenile rats (3) PSD-95 and phosphorylated Serine295 PSD-95 increase only 1d post-training in the amygdala and 7d post-training in the hippocampus of only adult rats Overall, these results indicate long-term dysregulation in the juvenile brain associated with adversity induced GluA1-AMPAr subunit expression. Additionally, the increase in PSD-95 and its phosphorylated state observed only in adults, highlights the lack of mature dendritic spines and increased neurogenesis in juveniles seen in previous literature on infantile amnesia and ELA. Specific Aim 2: Identify the role of AMPA receptor expression in the amygdala in threat memory retrieval during infancy [Chapter 3] Adolescents who have experienced maltreatment early in life respond faster to fearful facial expressions and show an overgeneralized threat response. This rapid response to these fearful facial expressions was also associated with activation of the prefrontal cortex, suggesting dysregulated development of the amygdala-prefrontal circuitry. Furthermore, longitudinal fMRI studies on adolescent individuals who experience ELA show atypical connectivity between the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala and prefrontal cortex to hippocampus. This pattern suggests that trauma has long-term consequences resulting in atypical development of brain regions important for short and long-term memory storage as well as emotional memory storage. In rodents, altered connectivity between these brain regions is observed in models of maltreatment during infancy, resulting in depressive and anxiety like symptoms, and deficits in social behavior later on in adolescence. Furthermore, infant rats maltreated by the mother show increased levels of the stress hormone, corticosterone (CORT), suggesting CORT may play a role in the altered threat circuitry shown later in adolescent rats. Increased CORT levels in the amygdala during infancy prematurely activates the amygdala threat circuitry, a function that usually does not emerge until PN10. With previous literature highlighting the effects of trauma on brain regions important for not only threat memory processing but also non-threat memory processing, suggesting that altered and atypical development in these brain regions may also serve as a driving force for the various impairments seen in trauma exposed adolescent youths

Status of the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos in Sicily

In the present work, we review all the relevant information since the first Regional Atlas of breeding birds (Massa 1985), and we add field data on the species occurrence and site occupancy relative to the period January 2014-December 2016, in order to update the species’ status in Sicily

Highly oxygenated organic molecule cluster decomposition in atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometers

Identification of atmospheric molecular clusters and measurement of their concentrations by atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight (APi-TOF) mass spectrometers may be affected by systematic error due to possible decomposition of clusters inside the instrument. Here, we perform numerical simulations of decomposition in an APi-TOF mass spectrometers and formation in the atmosphere of a set of clusters which involve a representative kind of highly oxygenated organic molecule (HOM), with the molecular formula C10H16O8. This elemental composition corresponds to one of the most common mass peaks observed in experiments on ozone-initiated autoxidation of alpha-pinene. Our results show that decomposition is highly unlikely for the considered clusters, provided their bonding energy is large enough to allow formation in the atmosphere in the first place.Peer reviewe

Nanostructured Lead Electrodes with Reduced Graphene Oxide for High-Performance Lead–Acid Batteries

Nanostructured Pb electrodes consisting of nanowire arrays were obtained by electrodeposition, to be used as negative electrodes for lead–acid batteries. Reduced graphene oxide was added to improve their performances. This was achieved via the electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide directly on the surface of nanowire arrays. The electrodes with and without reduced graphene oxide were tested in a 5 M sulfuric acid solution using a commercial pasted positive plate and an absorbed glass mat separator in a zero-gap configuration. The electrodes were tested in deep cycling conditions with a very low cut-off potential. Charge–discharge tests were performed at 5C. The electrode with reduced graphene oxide outperformed the electrode without reduced graphene oxide, as it was able to work with a very high utilization of active mass and efficiency. A specific capacity of 258 mAhg−1–very close to the theoretical one–was achieved, and the electrode lasted for more than 1000 cycles. On the other hand, the electrode without reduced graphene oxide achieved a capacity close to 230 mAhg−1, which corresponds to a 90% of utilization of active mass

The plasma boundary in Single Helical Axis RFP plasmas

Single Helical Axis (SHAx) states obtained in high current reversed field pinch (RFP) plasmas display, aside from a dominant mode in the m=1 spectrum, also a dominant m=0 mode, with the same toroidal mode number as the m=1 one. The two modes have a fixed phase relationship. The island chain created by the m=0 mode across the reversal surface gives rise, at shallow reversal of the toroidal field, to an X-point structure which separates the last closed flux surface from the first wall, creating a divertor-like configuration. The plasma-wall interaction is found to be related to the connection length of the field lines intercepting the wall, which displays a pattern modulated by the dominant mode toroidal periodicity. This configuration, which occurs only for shallow toroidal field reversal, could be exploited to realize an island divertor in analogy to stellarators.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures Submitted to Nuclear Fusio

Environmental Enrichment Increases Glucocorticoid Receptors and Decreases GluA2 and Protein Kinase M Zeta (PKMζ) Trafficking During Chronic Stress: A Protective Mechanism?

Environmental enrichment (EE) housing paradigms have long been shown beneficial for brain function involving neural growth and activity, learning and memory capacity, and for developing stress resiliency. The expression of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluA2, which is important for synaptic plasticity and memory, is increased with corticosterone (CORT), undermining synaptic plasticity and memory. Thus, we determined the effect of EE and stress on modulating GluA2 expression in Sprague-Dawley male rats. Several markers were evaluated which include: plasma CORT, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), GluA2, and the atypical protein kinase M zeta (PKMζ). For 1 week standard-(ST) or EE-housed animals were treated with one of the following four conditions: (1) no stress; (2) acute stress (forced swim test, FST; on day 7); (3) chronic restraint stress (6 h/day for 7 days); and (4) chronic + acute stress (restraint stress 6 h/day for 7 days + FST on day 7). Hippocampi were collected on day 7. Our results show that EE animals had reduced time immobile on the FST across all conditions. After chronic + acute stress EE animals showed increased GR levels with no change in synaptic GluA2/PKMζ. ST-housed animals showed the reverse pattern with decreased GR levels and a significant increase in synaptic GluA2/PKMζ. These results suggest that EE produces an adaptive response to chronic stress allowing for increased GR levels, which lowers neuronal excitability reducing GluA2/PKMζ trafficking. We discuss this EE adaptive response to stress as a potential underlying mechanism that is protective for retaining synaptic plasticity and memory function